The Connected Car Still Needs Radio

The dashboard has become another place where radio has to earn its spot. A listener can get in the car and choose your station, a podcast, a music service or a station halfway across the country. CarPlay and Android Auto make those choices pretty easy, which has some people asking whether vehicles even need a broadcast receiver anymore. I build radio station websites and mobile apps for a living, and I still think removing that receiver is a bad idea. But I also think stations need to do more with the connected dashboard they already have.

A recent Radio World commentary makes the case for keeping broadcast radio in vehicles, particularly because of its ability to reach people when cellular networks become overloaded or unavailable. That’s a strong reason to keep it. A broadcast signal gives listeners a way to hear local information without depending on a working mobile connection. Adding more ways to listen should make access better, and removing an independent way to receive that information works against that goal.

Anyone who has worked in radio during a serious weather event understands the value of that access. The regular programming gets pushed aside because people need to know which roads are closed, where they can find shelter and what’s happening in their community. Of course, stations have their own transmitters, power and backup systems to worry about. Nothing is guaranteed to stay up. That’s exactly why having several ways to reach listeners matters. Your broadcast, stream, website and mobile app each give you another opportunity to get useful information to someone who needs it.

Most days, though, listeners are simply driving to work, taking the kids to school or picking up dinner. During those trips, your station needs to be easy to find and worth spending time with. Keeping an AM/FM receiver in the car preserves access, but it doesn’t give anyone a reason to choose your station. That part still comes down to the programming, the local connection and the experience you provide.

This is where I see opportunities for stations to do more with their mobile apps. CarPlay and Android Auto control much of the dashboard experience, so we don’t get to move everything around or design whatever screen we want. We do, however, have the ability to customize the artwork that appears with the audio. That gives a station something useful to work with beyond simply displaying the same logo all day.

Think about what that means during a commercial break. When an advertiser’s spot plays, its artwork could appear alongside the audio. A restaurant could have its logo or a simple food image. An auto dealer could have artwork that matches its current campaign. A station promotion could have its own graphic while the promo runs. The artwork becomes another part of the presentation, and the advertiser has an opportunity to be seen while being heard.

I wouldn’t cram a full display ad into that space. Someone is driving, and a small image filled with prices, phone numbers and fine print isn’t going to help anyone. A clean, recognizable visual makes more sense. It also gives your sales team something concrete to demonstrate. Show a business owner how their commercial can sound and look inside the station’s app, and you have a more interesting conversation than simply telling them their spot also runs on the stream.

That takes some attention inside the station. The artwork needs to match what’s playing, and someone needs to make sure an old promotion or the wrong advertiser isn’t still showing. Those details are part of how listeners and clients judge the product. We spend time making sure the station sounds right. As more listening happens through screens, we need to give some attention to how it looks, too.

I want radio to keep its place in the dashboard, including the broadcast receiver. I also want stations to make better use of the space they already have there. Open your app in the car, listen through a few songs and a commercial break, and look at what appears when it’s safe to do so. Is the information correct? Does the artwork represent the station well? Could an advertiser have a useful presence there? There may be an opportunity sitting on that screen that nobody at the station has thought to sell.